Triarian Collective
The Triarian Collective, often (and in formal conversation) simply as the Collective in the modern day, is a collection of various races absorbed by the Triarii, an intelligent but physically frail race. While inherently a scientific race which prefers logical solutions, they have been known to resort to wars out of desperation or as they see no other course of action with the best possible outcome (Which may not be short term, as they are known to play the long game) The Triarian Collective is noted to have some of the most advanced technology availble as well as the ability to develop technology at very fast rates. They are ahead of most known powers, their technology sometimes advancing at such rates their own industry can't keep up with the changing demand. It is estimated that by the time one of the massive manufactorums on the forge worlds is complete, several upgrades are required for it. They are the nation that is quickest to advance and easily outstrip others through their technical prowess The Collective controls 31 planets but has a population in the trillions, giving it vast food problems that results in food shortages and an entire department, the 'Triage office for Food Distribution' having been set up to manage this. Being able to reverse engineer highly advanced technology with comparative ease, as well as innovate quickly, makes the Collective a force to be reckoned with. Their industry is gargantuan and their fleets countless. They are, however, slow to act in the aid of others. It took them two Earth years to enter the Draconian War, only joining after the Aetherii were destroyed, and they have often delayed entering other wars before. History Pre-Universal War The Triarii are a highly intelligent species. They managed a rather quick evolution from hunter-gather to space faring species. With their doctrine built solely around the greater good, war was almost completely unheard of, soldiers being bogeymen with which to threaten children. The greatest war in Early Triarian History was the War of Tenebris, or War of the dark times, which lasted a mere one earth day and left only 102 dead. Ethics were left in the dirt Eager too start, the Triarii spread throughout the stars. They dreamed of meeting other species that could trade knowledge with them and indulge in creating an intelligent, peaceful alliance with these species. But this was not to be. The colony of Chron was taken from them by another empire, The Xorg. A mass genocide ensured no Triarii survived the attack on the Colony. A huge blow, given the slow reproduction rate the Triarii usually indulge in. Nonetheless, the Triarii attempted peaceful negotiations. The colony of Stret fell and the Triarii changed their tune. They build a relatively large fleet of powerful battleships (During the construction the colonies of Zils and Poi were also exterminated). The Triarii took the fight to their enemy. In the conflict that followed resulted in the victory of the Triarii... but it came at a huge cost. Many Triarii had lost their lives and it took 50 cycles before even a fraction of that population was restored. Unable to cope with the thought of such losses again, the Triarii constructed a huge and effective millitary fleet. Their advanced technology was incorperated into each one, including their new weaponry. After two years of the Great War, the Draconians attacked and destroyed the Aetherii Remenant as it seemed the Triarian Collective were about to enter the war and the Aetherii Remenant posed the problem that the Triarian Collective might get even more advanced technology. The Triarian Collective, filled with rage, sent a message to the Draconian Empire "This is not war, this is pest control! You are superior in one respect, you are better at dying!" The Collective quickly joined the fray, mobolising their entire fleets. Asteroids filled with Corruptelae Insectum were flung at Draconian Space, some managing to slip past Draconian defences and infest entire worlds, killing indiscriminately. As soon as the Triarian Collective were able to lower the defence grid of a planet, Energy Projectors were used to burn the planet to glass. Any captive Draconians were quite literally used for parts, being used to build Synths. Civilians made up the bulk of captive Draconians, men, women and children. After the Destruction of the Draconian Empire, genocide by the Triarian Collective ensured that the Draconian race was sent into extinction and any surviving Draconians are hunted down by Triarian Ghost and Spectre forces, and any Draconian found was sentenced and summarily executed. Spectre and Ghost became the nightmares of Draconians, capture often involving undue force that would cause extreme pain. Often, execution would be performed through the most brutal means the Collective could find. Females were restrained against rocks in hive worlds and infected by Corruptelae Insectum and Males would have their minds destroyed through Psionics and their bodies then taken to be genetically repurposed. The Children were killed and turned into food to be fed to the troops. If the Draconians were lucky, they would be simply shot by their captors, but this was much rarer than the more elaborate former punishments Universal War and Post War During the Universal War, the Collective inadvertantly collided the Primary Universe with the Secondary Universe as a result of the usage of a new piece of technology in an attempt to end the Universal War. This result in many storms erupting across the universe which have completely destroyed an unknown number of sentient species. In addition, this rendered the traditional means of Collective inter-galactic travel completely impossible, and standard travel across the galaxies implausible due to the dangers arising from 'tears', holes in space time where the Primary and Secondary universes have collided. Another effect, coupled with the effects of the Universal War, was the near complete destruction of most extra-galactic holdings across the universe. The storms disolved quickly in the milky way, but not before devastating entire planets and wiping out many different lifeforms across the galaxy. The effects of this collision are estimated to last a further 500,000 years These tears weakened not just the barrier between the primary and secondary universes, but other universes as well, and this allowed for the arrival of more extra universal entities In short, the Collective caused a universal apocalypse in their attempts to end another universal apocalypse. As a result of this, the Collective could not reach it's extra-Galactic holdings, and as such they fell one by one as their defences failed and no reinforcements came from other galaxies. They were picked off one by one. The Collective was locked in a losing battle for many, many years. Tens of millennia passed before the tide finally turned. Armed with a refinement of the piece of technology that caused the Universal Cataclysm Disaster, finally perfected after many Triarian Lifetimes of work (Thousands of years) they were able to destroy the extra-universal threat and finally 'reclaim' their own universe. And what was left of the Collective, drastically reduced in size, man power etcetera, stood upon an island of corpses in a sea of blood. Although brutally beaten, they had held. For the first time in living memory the section 'The Greater Good Prevails' was played. But there was no celebration. Everywhere one looked they would see death, they would see decay. Everyone had lost multiple family members and many had known only war. As such it was branded the single most horrific war in Collective History. After the war, a recording of the traditional Umbrae Populus song, Dium'zul, became the number one played audio track within the Collective and remained so for many cycles. "Dweade a doi e'tol Mi dium ond zia. Diwethaf'wym soli'un nod ywr url'kise gaefa troi at card iar Dweade a doi e'tol No'l Card'aid bachk er soli'on rro nod ywr Mi dium ond zai Hurl'wym er pam gollais aid" With the destruction of the homeworlds of many of their Extra-Galactic client races, the Collective was forced to reallocate former Habitat worlds for cultural reasons, and the massive terraforming attempts to make the planets seem closest to home took massive amounts of the few remaining resources. Approximately one point two cycles after the end of the Universal War and the elimination of (known) Extra-universal life from Universe 1, the Triarian Collective dropped the former part of it's title, declaring it's self merely 'The Collective'. Having focused primarily inwards and little on locating new species as they once did, they have no idea that the other species they previously knew of have survived, and many don't even know they exist... such is what happens when you have gone without any real contact for 50,000 years. The Collective forces self-proclaimed themselves the 'Guardians' or the 'Sentinels', and the Collective it's self prides it's self on being one of the oldest known continous bodies in the Universe... as it turns out, having survived the Universal War inflated their planet sized ego to the size of a star, paticularly with the Triarii. Structure Their society is based around a utopian socialist ideal, all individuals strive for the advancement of the Collective as a whole. As the good of the species is placed before the good of the individual, this can result in actions that seem morally wrong to external species, such as eugenics, cloning and genetic manipulation. Their government is arranged by merit, the most intelligent and highest individuals lead the race while the least intelligent and lowest achieving individuals reside at the bottom. It is arranged into several castes Triarii caste system (Basic) Caste 1: Primicerius: The leader caste, they are tasked with ensuring the Triarian empire runs efficently. They are usually very, very intelligent, even for a Triarii. This includes the top member of the Argutus, Equitem and Civilis Protectione Caste 2: Argutus: The scientists of the Triarii, they are in the second to top class and are highly intelligent. While technically, they can order around members of the Equitem, Argutus members often obey Equitem requests out of respect for the Caste which saved the empire. Caste 3: Equitem: These are the soldiers of the Triarii. They defend the empire from alien threats with zeal. The Equitem controls the Space Navy, the planetary defense grid and the ground forces Caste 4: Civilis Protectione: The police caste, they have the ability to order around any member of the lower castes as well as authorise on the spot judgement. Caste 5: Higher Kyn: The higher achieving and more intelligent people of the society, these involve any who have got higher level jobs such as doctors Caste 6: Kyn: The average achieving and intelligent people of the society, these involve any who have got medium level jobs, such as work force overseers and managers Caste 7: Lower Kyn: The lowest achieving and intelligent people of the society, these involve any who have got low level jobs such as mechanics and builders Caste -: Infandus: These are Triarii who are exiled, they are very few in number because the Triarii, through their very nature, band together and exhibit little aggression towards each other. They include Thieves, Murders and any other criminal who is exiled instead of under going repurposing (Repurposing is the name given to brainwashing. All trace of the former personality is destroyed effectively leaving a 'clean canvas' to re-educate the individual, Genetic Repurposing refers to complete changes of the individual into a synthetic fighting unit for the Empire) . An Infandus is attacked on sight, they are obvious because they have been branded with the mark of shame on their head. Each caste is split into sub-castes (For instance the Argutus have a sub-caste called Munitor, who construct the Argutus inventions) and there are often considered to be other castes between some of them, though the one above is the one that other species recognise, as most would not be able to remember the massive number of intertwining branchs of the structure. Another confusing issue is determining exactly what the Collective is. It is a union of species by technicality, since the species are referred to as Clients or Members, but it identifies as one overall body, which implies it is a single nation. This is actually due to the Triarian mentality and culture. They view a nation as a single body (Hence the type of Medical terminology used by them, essentially taking the figurative and cementing it literally, by referring to the Collective as a living being and problems it faces as infections or injuries) and also view a Union as a single body, meaning the distinction between the two has become blurred Species of the Triarian Collective Current member races Triarii - 100% of Universe Triarii Population Saeva Simius (Hara-Ka) - 100% of Universe Saeva Simius Population Umbrae Populus (Ziatri) - 100% of Universe Umbrae Populus Population Corruptelae Insectum Queen - 100% of Universe Corruptelae Insectum Queen Population Aquatilium Aequus (Selkath) - 53% of Universe Selkath Population Odiosum Lacerta (Draconian) - Unknown Honoratissimus Aviarius (Aru'Shumi) - 100% of Universe Honoratissimus Avarius population Humanum Lanceam (Lance Human) - 100% of Universe Lance Human Population Bellator Lacerta (Trandoshan ) - 100% of Universe Transdoshan Population Non Sentient: Corruptelae Insectum - 100% of Universe Corruptelae Insectum Population Parasiticis Moderatorem (AKA: Parasitics, Headcrabs) - 100% of known parasiticis moderatorem population Previous other member races Hyacinthino Virgines (Asari) Iacentem serpens (Batarian) Lacerta Aviarius (Turian) Military Forces Collective Military forces use highly advanced equipment and often deploy en masse, making them extremely deadly. The minds of a large amount of there forces have been 'programmed' with combat tactics and skills and thus they are extremely deadly opponents. For land forces, the Triarian Equitem does not, so to speak, have soldiers and vehicles in their land force. Instead they have a wide selection of specialised Genetic and Mechanical constructs, or Synths and Mechs. They are then commanded by Command Units, which are usually the only Triarians you will see on the ground baring very special circumstances There have only a handful instances in which full Triarian fleets were deployed in the Old Collective, that being the Draconian War and the Battle above the final world of the Aetherii remenant, along with the Equiis pact conflict. Other than that, Triarian Fleets deployed against races such as the Sazkarjhit and in defence of the Domu have been small to moderate in size. Many of the incidents classified as battles by the other Species, such as the Battle of Morn, were generally reffered to simply as incidents. Under the Equitem, for a situation to be classified as a Battle, it must be part of a declared war and consist of at least two full sized fleets from both sides. Military Forces, Synths While other races do have access to Genetic Engineering, Triarian Genetic Engineering is undeniably the most extreme in the universe, as with their cybernetic augmentations. Creation of larger synthetics is sometimes done from multiple organisms, and the base species used are often so different to the end product that one must wonder whether the Triarii actually have any moral boundries at all. Indeed, and most horrifically, Synth creation is often done with the subject awake. Servitor: This basic synth has crude augments and implementation, and it's main purpose is simply to service other Synths and mechs. It is not a frontline combat unit as a result Hunter: A 8ft tripodal synth, it's official designation is Anti-Body. It's legs end with extremely sharp barbs making it a more than capable close combat unit as it can use it's body to knock down opponents and then impale them, often taking out part of their insides with the barbs. It has a pair of retractable spikes that are also able to be used during a charge, though they are less deadly than the barbed legs they shouldn't be underestimated. It has a flechette launch which can fire in large bursts, short bursts or single shot. If they are going to die, sometimes they will fire as many rounds as they can in a shotgun like fashion to try and take their target with them. These flechettes have two prongs on the end which allow them to embed in their targets, they explode shortly after a growing noise indicating the flechette is 'charging'. The explosion showers nearby targets and is extremely deadly. They are known for being quick and agile, they are fairly resistant to damage, but not on the same scale as other, heavier units. Dropship: This crablike synth carries metal pods that the units wait in while they are taken down to the ground, or carries entire units for larger units such as the Marcher. The front and two rearmost pairs of "legs" on the craft contain engines that give the Dropship lift and movement. The front two legs also hold retractable wings used for maneuvering. The middle four legs end in large suction pads which are used to carry various forms of cargo. The Container is a large, streamlined container used to transport Equitem units or Civilis Protectione units. It is used in conjunction with a Dropship, which picks it up and carries it wherever it is needed. While the dropship is unarmed, these containers are equipped with a powerful and accurate Light Dark Energy turret mounted on the front of the container, designed to provide suppressing fire for the troops as they disembark. Marcher: A towering 25ft tripod, which bears the official designation of Viscerator. It is armed with a Hardlight Auto cannon and with a Warp Cannon . It's legs have spikes at the bottom which allow it to stomp on anything which gets too close to it. Chitinous plates reinforced with heavy metal alloys to make it a durable and effective soldier. Megarachnid (Corruptelae Insectum Auctum): A insect like synth with 6 legs, it's formal designation is Virome. It has extremely sharp claws and pincers which are venomous, and is very deadly in close combat. The only synth capable of reproduction, via eggs in an insect like caste structure, the Triarian Equitem sometimes release a small group of megarachnids into the underground of an empires planet. Because of their fast reproduction rate, they will have infested the planet within a short time, the Triarian Equitem then comes in and uses the megarachnids to capture the planet. They are not sentient, their intelligence being limited to a few basic functions by their Triarian masters. They know only to kill, reproduce and follow directives. it's chitin provides protection, but it is less durable than the other Triarian synths Gunship: A flying synth which measure 20ft from nose to tail. It's formal designation is Nebuliser. It is armed with a heavy Hardlight machine gun which fires in large bursts and a deadly Warp Cannon. It is very agile in the air and has proven useful in both providing support for ground units and fighting other aircraft. Light but strong metal alloys are combined with strong chitin to provide a strong armor for the gunship. Crab Synth: The Crab Synth has many spiked protrusions and various mechanical systems on its front and rear. It can charge at targets to do large amounts of impact damage due to it's size, crushing bones and damaging targets as it does. It is equipped with a heavy Hardlight machine gun which is stored under its belly when not in use, hidden behind a plate. Mortar Synth: The Mortar Synth consists of a fleshy, triangular body with a mortar located on its back. Its front end features many spiked protrusions and various mechanical systems. Hovering low above the ground, it uses its mortar to hit far away targets, blowing up enemies before they can get close to the main forces. It acts as a sort of support unit, softening up enemy targets or supressing them while the main force moves into position Synth Soldier (Saeva Simius Auctum): A 8ft Synth which has more in common with an augmented ape than the other synths. It's formal designation is Causteriser. Formed out of a species that was conqured long ago by the Triarii, like most other synths, it is incapable of reproduction so it's numbers are kept up through cloning and growing of the base species followed by Augmentation once the creature reaches the adolsecent stage. They are very aggressive, strong and durable yet not intelligent. The perfect shock trooper. Synth Soldier (Lance Human Auctum): A 6'6ft Synth that is made from a Lance Human It's formal designation is Causteriser. Formed out of a species that joined the Collective shortly before the Universal War, like most other synths it is incapable of reproduction so it's numbers are kept up through cloning and growing of the base species followed by Augmentation once the creature reaches the adolsecent stage. They are not as strong or as durable as their Saeva Simius counter parts, but they are more intelligent and adaptable Synth Infiltrator (Umbrae Populus Auctum): This Synth is the infiltrator of the Triarian Collective. Able to 'shape shift' it is able to infiltrate other species. It is a quick learning alien and is thus capable of picking up languages and customs, as well as creating clevar cover stories for themselves. Regardless of form, they are highly flexible and can jump approximately 16 meters into the air, which they often use to get atop buildings, and also survive very long falls. They are able to spit a poison which is produced in glands in their mouth and their ability to shape shift makes them highly durable if they have enough energy to shift form to heal their wounds. Synth Vanguard (Odiosum Lacerta Auctum): This Synth is one of the rarer synths, operating almost exclusively under Spectre. They are highly augmented in addition to their 'natural' talents, and are highly trained and well equipped. They are some of the finest infantry available in the universe. Their name references them being the Vanguard In Draconian Absorbtion Synth Sharpshooter (Honoratissimus Aviarius Carnivorus Auctum): The Synth sharpshooter is a heavily augmented Aru'Shumi carnivores. It's natural features, when augmented, make it extremely accurate, their birdlike eyes perfect for sharpshooting. On top of this, they are fairly quick and strong, although not to the level of many other synths. They are usually armed with the Hardlight Rifle, making them extremely deadly and they fill the role of designated marksman. Synth Skirmisher (Honoratissimus Aviarius Celeri Auctum): The Synth Skirmisher is a heavily augmented Aru'Shumi Runner. It's natural features, when augmented, make it perfect for a fast attack unit, being quick and agile. They would be armed with a light hardlight rifle as they dash around their enemies, leaping to heights and scouting out terrain. They fill the role of a scout and, along with the hunter, fast attack unit Synth Guardian (Honoratissimus Aviarius Carnivorus Auctum): The Synth Guardian is a heavily augmented Aru'Shumi Carnivore. It is the strongest of the three Aru'Shumi Synths, though they are not as strong as the Saeva Simius, and they are equipped with a hardlight pistol and a point defense gauntlet, which is a wrist mounted directional shield, large enough for them to hide behind. They are used for holding positions, creating phalanxes with their point defense gauntlets, and are often used to support Stalkers, guarding them from flanking enemies so that the Stalkers can snipe Synth Marauder (Trandoshan): The Synth Marauders are generally used as a vicious fast attack unit, taking more punishment than they look able to and wreaking havoc amongst the enemy. Standing a foot higher than normal at 7'2, they are stronger, faster, regenerate their limbs faster than standard trandoshans and also do not lose the ability to do so. They have adaptive bone marrow and other such durability implants to make them recover faster, and are much more imposing. Another feature is that the teeth of the Synth Marauders have venom and their claws are sharper Military Forces, Mechs Triarian AI technology of varying strengths incorporated into military forces, these units excel at their designated tasks. Turret: A turret which is either portable and set up on the floor by ground units or attached into walls, ceilings or floors in more permanent bases. They are referred to as Sterilisers and rapid fire Dark Energy at their enemies, depending on model and thus the security level of the zone. They can be used to lock down zones quickly but are immobile and reliant on other units for deployment and retrieval Walker: A 12 ft, bipedal mech, formally referred to as a Hemostat. It is very durable and well armed, along with the Soldiers they make up the bulk of Triarian mech forces. It's right arm ends in one of several weapons, varying by mech. These are either a heavy hardlight machine gun, a hardlight autocannon or a light dark energy machine gun. On it's shoulders are mounted fuel rod cannons and it's left arm ends in a three fingered hand. Mech Soldier: A 6' Bipedal mech, formally referred to as a Stabiliser, they are often seen setting up floor turrets or entering buildings because other mechs are too large. They serve the role of general infantry, similar to the soldiers of other species, hence the informal name. Along with the Walkers, they make up the bulk of the Triarian Mech forces. The soldiers do not have any built in weapons and use the same range of weaponry used by Synth Soldiers Scanner: A small, flying mech, they are formally known as Diagnosers. They are rather easy to destroy, their purpose being to recon area's, to search for hiding targets or as spotters. There are two variants, the Equitem variant, which is armed with a small laser attack beam that is weak but deadly to unarmored targets and the Civilis Protectione variant (Which is not called Diagnoser, but merely Scanner), which lacks the laser and serves more as a flying security camera or serves to follow criminals so they aren't lost than as a actual unit. Stalker: A human sized, bipedal mech, they are formally known as Scalpels. They have advanced targeting optics and are equipped with a grappling hook and a Hardlight Sniper Rifle. They are snipers who are often grouped with scanners to serve as spotters. They carry a Hardlight Pistol as a side arm but rarely use it, usually preferring to run than to fight. Phase Assault Platform: The Phase Assault Platform, sometimes refereed to as Phase Tanks are a half-saucer shaped craft with a single warp cannon mounted on the it's underside, and dual heavy hardlight machine guns on each of it's 'wings'. On the top of the tank is what appears to be a lone optical sensor built into the vehicle's "head". Phase Assault Platforms are able to traverse almost any terrain and cross deep water with no difficulties as they are hovering. Phase Assault Platforms are equipped with a phasing generator, which works in a similar way to the trans-dimensional drive, only instead of fully taking them to the other dimension it leaves them in a sort of limbo, half in this dimension and half in the other, allowing them to pass through solid objects (such as structures and even the ground) and rendering them immune to any sort of damage while the Phasing generator is active. They cannot, however, do any damage while phased as their weaponry is also between worlds and cannot be fired as a result. If they shut off their phasing generator while inside a solid object, the results are disastrous for both the object and the Phase Assault Platform. The Phasing Generator can remain active for periods of up to six hours at a time, after which it will shut it's self off, forcing the Phase Assault Platform back into this universe. The Phasing Generator takes a thirty seconds to activate, so it cannot be used to phase in and out to avoid enemy fire. The Phase Assault Platform is also able to hover up off the ground to reach high places, and it can rotate its 'wings' to enable it to act as an fighter air craft, soaring across the skies to assist in air combat. Reaper Drone: The Reaper Drone, formally known as 'Collector' is a mech that is essentially a mobile teleporter for breaking down materials (organic or not) and teleporting them to supply ships or assembly walkers. Each Reaper Drone possesses advanced artificial intelligence that allows it to distinguish between different materials and collect them in a prioritised order based on how easy they are to break down, how much of each resource is required etc. The Reaper Drone's teleporation beam works by breaking down an object and teleporting it away over short distances. They have a Heavy Hardlight Machine Gun to help defend them, but often they simply use their beam to break down and teleport any enemies who attempt to attack them. Defilers: Defilers appear as extremely spindly tripods consisting of a thin, cylinder-like body and a much larger crescent-shaped head attached to it. At the base of the Defiler's head is a glowing orb from which the Defiler projects it's irradiated beam, which is designed so that it will burn through inorganic material but not affect organic material, which it will mutate into a slave for the Collective. Attached to the crescent is a horseshoe-shaped structure ending in silver nozzles. These nozzles can release the mutagenic radiation into the surrounding environment, corrupting and mutating organics. The mutagen actually contains nano bots which prevent it from attacking Collective forces Military Forces, Space All Triarian ships (Except for Drone fighters, which detonate upon taking significant damage) are fitted with a self destruct device which triggers upon the death of every crew member on board. This can also be triggered by a command from the commanding officer of the ship, and the AI does take into account field promotions when recieving this command. Triarian space forces are durable, equipped with strong weaponry and agile, making them tough opponents to go against. Atop of this, the Triarii are known to use their Julius-Corvus Trans-Dimensional propulsion device to make jumps to avoid enemy fire in battle, as well as position themselves before a fight Drone: A Drone is a fighter/bomber space craft designed to engage the enemy in space, though it can provide assistance in atmosphere as well. It's formal designation is merely Drone. It is fast, agile and dangerous in swarms and is program with advanced flight patterns and tactic analysis which allow the drone to 'learn' from it's enemies tactics. It is classified as a Mech unit under the Triarian Equitem Unit Classification Index Onus class transportation vessel: This is a cargo ship with only very minor weaponry and weak shields. It's purpose is merely to transport goods from A to B. Velites class Corvette: A small and very fast ship capable of combat with smaller enemy vessels. It's mainly used as a patrol vessel, but is occasionally used in full scale battles to finish off injured ships or pursue retreaters while the main fleet continues the main battle. This ship has capable shields and capable defences for fending off smaller encounters. It's plasma weaponry and mobility makes it very dangerous if it isn't met properly. Venator Class Frigate: This ship is capable of putting up a fight against most other fighting ships, it is well armed and shielded. Frigates serve a role similar to the Corvette's, although they are larger and slightly slower, they are also more dangerous. Indespectus Class Prowler: A unique class of ship that incorporates cloaking technology by utilizing several different means, including active camouflage that bends light around the ship in order to render it invisible to the eye and Stealth Ablative Coating which is black in color and serves to refract most basic sensors, making the ship invisible to radar and other minor sensors, similar to the way Active camouflage cloaks something from eyesight. The coating must be maintained perfectly or it will return radar signals. This necessitates constant maintenance on the entire coating, which is done after every mission the ship goes on. This only works on minor and some moderate level sensors, making it good mostly for avoiding the eyes of pirates or sneaking through low security sectors and past small patrols, as higher security sectors and enemy warships are likely to use more advanced sensors. It has Counter-electronic systems as well. Weaponry wise, it carries weaponry on par with a Velites class Corvette, save for a miniature version of the Energy Projector that would not be able to generate enough power to glass a planet or even destroy enemy mainline ships but is powerful enough to cut through most Corvettes and Frigates, but it's not meant to be a mainline fighting vessel. It is used mostly be Spectre and Ghost during their operations in order to travel unseen around space. Hastati class Cruiser: The main Cruiser used by the Triarian Empire. This is a fast and agile ship, though not to the extent of the Corvette or the Frigate. It's main purpose serves more as an actual frontline ship than as the Corvette and Frigates support roles. It is rather uncommon to see it used in it's frontline purpose in larger battles due to the stronger ships being availble and more likely to be used. Although the Hastati class is still often included in these more dangerous battles, it sometimes takes the roles of the Velites and Venator when it is deemed that even the injured threat will be very dangerous and beyond the capabilities of the smaller vessels. Princeps class Destroyer: One of the mainline ships used by the Triarian Empire. Although slower than the classes preceeding it, it still keeps a good deal of speed and agilty, but has sacrifices some of it for durability and damage output. As it is stronger than the Hastati cruiser, it see's combat against more dangerous foes than the Hastati class. Evocatus class Battle Ship: The Evocatus Battleship is very dangerous and strong. It is known to take extraordinary amounts of punishment while still dishing out damage to it's foes with it's dangerous plasma weaponry. It is one of the slowest vessels, with this mobility being sacrificed for even more powerful weaponry and stronger durability. While it does carry some Synths and Mechs (Though with a tonne of drones), it carries no where near as many as a Carrier. This is the first vessel with one of the Triarian Empires most famed and deadly space weapon appears; The energy projector. The energy project is an intensly hot and powerful beam of energy, capable of burning straight through most materials and heating up a planets ground to the point it fuses together in a glass like construct. While such planets can be restored, it is unlikely to be done without the use of advanced terraforming. Using this beam in such a way will destroy most life within dozens of miles around, this is even more pronounced as the ships often fly across a whole continent, burning these scorched lines into it. They are always visible from orbit due to their size, and a popular urban legend says that a Fleet Master once had a message burned into a planet using this weapon. While there is no known record of this happening, it remains as a popular circulation and has spread from out of the Triarian Empire and into galactic society. Like most Urban Legends, while it may seem legitamate at first glance it falls apart upon closer inspection. Aquilifer class Carrier: This massive ship is about 30 KM long, however most of this is storage space so it is able to carrier as many synth and mech forces as well as drones as it often does. It is able to repair smaller ships as well. It's shields are strong enough to take a decent amount of hits, but the ships weaponry is rather weak, with the exception of it's energy projector. As such, it is usually protected by the other ships in the fleet while it deploys it's drones or drops it's forces onto the planet. These ships are often pivotal in invasions as they carry the majority of forces. Praetorian Class Ship of the Line: One of these is the flagship of any given fleet. Except for the Invictus and Aethereus class, these ships are the strongest and most deadly availble. There are usually a few in the fleet, although the flagship will have considerable improvements over the standard ones, usually in the form of better weaponry and shields, though being larger is sometimes used. Since they sport two energy projectors, you must be sure to watch out for their deadly beams, or you will be considering your mistake on the way to whatever afterlife your species believes in. On top of this, they also have a single deadly Dark Energy Caster. These ships are deadly foes and since they are accompanied by a fleet, they are able to pick and destroy targets at will Invictus Class Super Carrier: A massive flagship that is able to handle most system invasions single handedly, it has massive firepower and extreme durability as well as being able to carry a massive amount of ground and air forces. This ship is a massive 50 KM long and rather agile for it's size, although it is no where near as agile as the smaller ships. As such, this ship is a force to be reckoned with by all but the best opposition. Each of the Overlords has one of these, with the Supreme Overlord commanding from the Aethereus Super Ship. They have four energy projectors and Overlords are not known for their hesitance to use them against any and all opposition. On top of this, they also have two deadly Dark Energy Casters Aethereus class Super ship: The largest Triarian ship. This ship is over 70 KM long, with nigh impenetrable shields and destructive weaponry capable of destroying almost anything in it's path. Unlike the other Triarian vessels which are highly manuverable, the Aethereus class is a very slow, hulking ship. It is only used by Supreme Overlords. It serves more as a message to other races of what the Triarian Empire can do if they wanted to and a detterant for war than an actual war vessel, as the Supreme Overlord prefers to stay a safe distance away from the actual war zone. Usually, the only conflict dangerous enough to draw this ship into an actual battle is an attack on Triarius it's self. Nonetheless, if he does go into the war zone and you see this plowing towards you, the advice is usually to fly the otherway as fast as you can. It has eight energy projectors and this means the Aethereus class is usually able to sweep aside opposition once the ship gets them charged, which doesn't take to long considering the advanced Dark Energy reactors used. On top of this, they also have four deadly Dark Energy Casters. By most measures, this ship is invincible. Military Forces, Command The command structure can be rather confusing, it is split into several sections. Ground, Naval and Defence. The Ground section is adapt at leading assaults on any planets, the Defence section is operating planatary defence grids and the Naval section excels at leading space engagements Ground Officer: The lowest rank of Command Units, they are still very capable in ground command. They are typically in command of an attack in the field. Naval Officer: The lowest rank of Command Units, they are still very capable in monitering the many stations of a naval vessel. They are typically acting as a bridge officer, subservant to the commander of the ship. Defense Officer: The lowest rank of Command Units, they are still very capable of commanding a defence section. They are typically in command of a section of the defense force. Ground Overseer: The second rank of Command units, they are typically in command of ground operations in a Sector. Shipmaster: The second rank of Command units, they are typically in command of a single vessel. Defense Overseer: The second rank of Command units, they are typically in command of all defenses in a sector. Ground High Overseer: The third rank of command units, they would be incharge of ground operations on a Planet Naval Overseer: The third rank of command units, they would be incharge of a section of the fleet Defense High Overseer: The third rank of command units, they would be incharge of ground operations on a Planet Field Master: The fourth rank of command unit, they would be incharge of ground operations in a Star System Fleet Master: The fourth rank of command unit, they would be incharge of an entire naval fleet Defence Master: The fourth rank of command unit, they would be incharge of all defence for a Star System Overlord: The Fifth rank of command units, they would be incharge of all Equitem operations in an galactic quadrant. Unlike all the ranks preceeding it, and like Supreme overlord, they are not part of a section, but are instead classified as the High Command Supreme Overlord: The highest rank in the military, they are incharge of all Equitem Operations in a Galaxy. Unlike all the ranks preceeding it save for Overlord, they are not part of a section, but are instead classified as the High Command Military Forces, Elite Spectre: Spectre units are Elite forces, highly trained and skilled. They are recognisable by their distinct black armour and handle special operations. They are known to only take orders from Overlords and above. Information on them is limited, but it consists mainly of Spectre Synth soldiers, who are further augmented and trained over the standard and elite Synth soldiers, and Spectre Commanders, Elite Triarians who are very skilled in using their psychic powers and are fairly effective in combat considering their frail form. Spectre units are given advanced equipment and have their own brand of spaceship, on which information is limited at this time. Military Forces, Other Civilis Protectione: While they are technically their own caste, the Civilis Protectione units will fight against invaders should a planet be attacked. They have three sections, Ghost, the Civilis Protectione it's self and the Civilis Protectione Xenos. The Civilis Protectione Xenos are composed of unaltered members of the species conquered planet who have joined the Triarian Collective. While these members may be brainwashed if they were formed in a high unrest planet following a hostile take over, they are generally not altered. The standard Civilis Protectione is the police force of Triarii who maintain order on the colonies. They are known to use Electroshock batons and sometimes hardlight pistols, they rarely get anything above this. Aside from this, they sometimes use their psionic powers to stop evading suspects. Finally, Ghost is the Civilis Protectione equivalent of Spectre. The difference is while Spectre is a military special operations force, Ghost is more a SWAT force meet Detectives. Civilis Protectione are obviously less dangerous than Equitem and their resistance, while resolute and stead fast, generally serves as little more than a minor inconvenience against any organised invader as they are a police force rather than a military. Overwatch : Overwatch is a highly Advanced AI system. Where this AI slots into the rank system seems unclear, but while it has been seen giving orders to Command units, it is also seen taking orders from Command units. This implies she isn't actually a Commander it all but more of an executive officer, passing orders along a chain. Indeed, the AI's major purpose seems to be to give warnings and information about the situation and state engagement codes. It's standard format is a cold feminine voice thats speech appears to be made up of seperate sound files which acts as an executive officer and relays orders to units while reading out codes and both mentioning rewards and warning of punishments. While all Overwatch Programs and linked and are programmed with loyalty to the Triarian Collective, they are allowed some degree of autonomy. The subprograms format may be customised depending on it's superiors preference, but due to this usually being seen as a pointless feature, few superiors actually edit the subprograms standard format. Habitat Walker : The towering Habitat Walker has four long, but bulky legs that it uses for movement and sports dozens of Plasma cannons and Heavy Hardlight Machine Guns and Light Dark Energy Machine Guns. It also has two massive warp cannons and sports a sort of low powered energy projector on it's main body. The walker contains many sophisticated teleporation systems, hallways, storage bays for synths and mechs, which are beamed down through it's teleporation system. The Walker's upper body is somewhat shaped like a lopsided hexagon. The sheer size of the Walker allows it to destroy many buildings by simply stepping on them with its legs. The walker is also truly "all terrain", able to climb cliffs and mountains or wade through lakes and even be fully submerged. It's external armour is extremely thick, battle ship grade with shielding, making it hard to destroy with most grond based weapon. Rather, enemies should destroy its hardpoints to expose the walker's internal workings, then break the dark energy cores protective casing and from there destabalise the dark energy core through damage. Assembly Walker : Like the Habitat Walker, the Assembly Walker is a massive, quadrupedal walker armed with hundreds of plasma cannons, Heavy Hardlight Machine Guns, Light Dark Energy Machine guns and a teleportion system. It is more than twice the size of the habitat walker, making it a gargantuan walker. The Walker's upper body features two large 'arms' that are covered in weaponry on either side of the main body and a giant teleport device on its back. It sports four massive warp cannons on each arm, and has a newly designed armament, the Dark Engery Caster on it's main body. The Assembly walker acts as a sort of walking manufactorum, producing synths and mechs as it advances across the world, through supplies that are teleported to it en mass. Like the other large walkers, the Assembly Walker can crush almost anything in its path and traverse nearly any terrain, including cliffs. The sheer size of the Walker allows it to destroy many buildings by simply stepping on them with its legs. The walker is also truly "all terrain", able to climb cliffs and mountains or wade through lakes and even be fully submerged. It's external armour is extremely thick, even stronger than that of the habitat walker. Enemies should destroy its hardpoints to expose the walker's internal workings, and from there disable it's internal energy shielding, followed by it's internal protective casing then the dark energy core can be destabalised, causing a self destruction. Triarian Weaponry Triarian weaponry makes widespread usage of their advanced technology. Very few of the weapons were originally designed as weapons, with most being adaptations of equipment used for mining or demolition. Culture The Culture of the Collective is composed of various pieces of the cultures of the different species, but it is mostly dictated by the Triarii. Critical thinking is allowed, as is individuality, but several area's are suppressed and the strange moral standards of the Collective are extreme to many outside species. Almost invariably other species are brought into the Collective by force, a process reffered to as 'Collectivisation'. Triarian Law Code Violations and Verdicts A list of Triarian Violations and Verdicts Level 1 Violation -Running (Without valid reason. Referred to formally as travelling at unauthorised velocities) -Jumping (Without valid reason. Referred to formally as unauthorised vertical movement) -Minor Theft from a Kyn -Uncivilised Behaviour (Such as sitting on the road, insulting others (Except when the insult is true) etc) -Level One contraband possession -Swearing (Without valid reason. Referred to formally as an Audio Violation) -Yelling (Without valid reason. Referred to formally as an Audio Violation) -Wasting Protectione Team time (Asking useless questions or lying) -Minor Kyn Vandalism (Defacing Kyn Property) Verdict - 2 Violation Points and re-education Level 2 Violation -Major Theft from a Kyn -Minor Collective Disrespect (Unwarranted disrespect of Collective Personnel) -Tampering with unconscious/dead bodies, -Level Two contraband possession -Major Kyn Vandalism (Damaging/Destroying Kyn Property) -Minor Malcompliance (Failure to Comply with the orders of a Superior) -Minor Inaction -Kyn Trespassing (Entering Kyn Property uninvited) Verdict - 4 Violation points added and a one cycle detainment Level 3 Violation -Resisting arrest -UPA (Unauthorised Procreative Activity) -Interspecies reproductive acts (Stacks with UPA) -Illegal Checkpoint Bypass (Bypassing checkpoints without good reason) -Conspiring to commit a Level One, Two or Three violation -Minor Collective Vandalism (Defacing Collective property) -Failure to Comply with Loyalty Check (Providing False Identification) -Major Collective disrespect (Directly abusing Collective Personnel) -Major Malcompliance (Failure to comply with the orders of a Civilis Protectione or Equitem) -Major Inaction (Not reporting a level 3 or 4 Violation) -Avoiding a lockdown (Intentionally avoiding the lockdown) -Trespassing (Entering Outer World Space, or minor outposts without authorisation -Spreading unauthorised propaganda -Assault -Level Three Contraband Possession -Minor theft from the Collective Verdict - 6 Violation points and 5 cycle detainment Level 4 Violation -Conspiring to commit a level Four or Five Violation -Capital Malcompliance (Failure to Comply with the orders of an Argutus or Primicerii) -Sociocide (Assaulting a Ground Unit of the Civilis Protectione or Equitem) -Major Collective vandalism (Damaging/destroying Collective Property) -Major Trespassing (Entering Middle or Inner world space, or major outposts and warehouses, without authorisation) -Level Four contraband possession -Capital Inaction (Not reporting a level 5 Violation) -Major theft from the Collective -Forceful Procreation (Rape) Verdict - 10 Violation points followed by 10 Cycle detainment Level 5 Violation -Level Five Contraband Possession -Murder -Hostaging (Note: This is different from locking criminals in their house and calling the Civilis Protectione, which is allowed!) -Policide (Assaulting a Command Unit of the Civilis Protectione or Equitem, or assaulting any member of the Argutus and Primicerii) -Theft of Absolute value item - Unauthorised trading of Triarian technology to outside species -Illegal Entry of Collective Building -Having over 40 Violation points Verdict - Amputation, Repurposing or Genetic Repurposing Contraband A list of Contraband in the Collective Level One Contraband - Non-sanctioned food - Non-sanctioned drink - Alcohol Level Two Contraband - Unauthorised binding equipment (IE: Energy Cuffs) - Illegal Currency - Unauthorised communication devices - Unauthorised minor ship devices Level Three Contraband - Lower Strength Ammunition - Falsified identity documents - Unauthorised major ship devices Level Four Contraband -Melee weaponry - Higher Strength Ammunition - Unauthorised minor ship weaponry Level Five Contraband - Unauthorised ranged weaponry - Unauthorised Explosive - unauthorised Major ship weaponry Economy The Triarii don't have a formal currency. Instead, your work earns you 'Civic Work Points' which are used to redeem certain 'rewards'. The idea of their Collective generally works on the idea that all should look out for each other and function as one, living being. This has both good and bad effects. The good is that they generally don't have trouble acquiring anything within their own Collective, as it technically belongs to one and all, so in times of war they can easily call up anything. The bad is that they find trade with other empires difficult because of this lack of currency (and indeed, lack of full understanding of the concept) Technology Collective Technology is highly advanced and they are capable of making bounds forwards at shocking speeds. Their weaponry is mostly plasma based at the current time, and their genetic engineering and AI technology is highly advanced. No species can boast the speed of the Triarii at developing new technologies, and consequentially, no other union has been able to match the speed of the Collective. They are currently far ahead the other powers except for the Aetherii and the Supremes, and this gap will likely take time to close given their headstart, if it ever does. The most notable Collective Technologies are: Julius-Corvus Trans-Dimensional propulsion device: Essentially working by cutting a hole in normal space and dropping into a separate universe with a different set of rules of physics, allowing them to cross the distance between Star Systems and even galaxies quickly. Unfortunately, do to the storms and tears, the later of these functions is now defunct Dark Energy: The Triarii have an unparralleled master of Dark Energy, allowing them to power the costly technologies such as the Energy Projector and their powerful shields, as well as harnessing it for use in weaponry such as the Dark Energy Rifle and the Dark Energy Caster Energy Projector: A beam of powerful energy capable of causing biosphere disaster for a planet, as well as turning the surface to a 'glass like' substance. Genetic Engineering: Highly advanced genetic engineering technology allows the Triarii to make large alterations to species to boost their capabilities and even create entire new species from biomass. They can create synths when this technology is combined with Cybernetic Augmentations Cybernetic Augmentation: Highly advanced Cybernetic technology allows the Triarii to graft large amounts of cybernetics into species to boost their capabilities and create synths when combined with Genetic Enginnering AI technology: The Triarii are able to make sentient AI's such as Overwatch as well as the programs used in their Mech forces Relationships with other races Draconians: Deceased Power. The Collective, paticularly the Triarii, hold them in great contempt. Equestrians: Existance confirmed, arrogant, hateful, must be Collectivised or destroyed. Considered a laughable power, considering it appears they need an extra-dimensional being to save them from hostile threats. Allied Interstellar Federation: Little is known about whether these even exist in the modern day, though there is a wealth of information as to their status pre-war and their status at the beginning of the war. There is statistical probabilities that they have survived somewhere due to their immense size/ CONFIRMED DECEASED, FORMER RACES NOW BELONG TO THE LAKFAKALLE COOPERATIVE CONFEDERACY Lakfakalle Cooperative Confederacy: Young race, insignificant, primitive, indifferent opinion, peaceful coexistance is a distinct possibility, possible candidate for collectivisation Sazkarjhit: Again, little is known about whether these survived the Universal War. It is believed, however, that some may have been able to survive it due to their military prowess. Whether enough would have survived to maintain a viable genepool however, is a different story Zonanese Empire: Once more, little is actually known about whether the Zonanese survived, but the Collective believes it is possible that some, at the least, were able to wait out the conflict. Whether enough would have survived to maintain a viable genepool however, is a different story. CONFIRMED TAKEN OVER BY CASTULLY The Castullian Oligarchy: Contact made, indifferent opinion, peaceful coexistance is a distinct possibility, possible candidate for collectivisation Trivia *The Triarian Collective draws inspiration from many different sci-fi series. Their ship design is generally taken from Halo, with the Saeva Simius having some inspiration from the Brutes. Most of their land forces take inspiration from Xcom or Half Life and 'Overwatch' is akin to the program of the same name from Half Life 2. The Greater Good doctrine is similar to the Tau Greater Good doctrine from Warhammer 40,000 and the Walker mechs are akin to the Mechs from Falling Skies. The Triarii themselves are Greys, with some aspects of the Sectoid from Xcom *Their language is very close to Latin **Equitem is Latin for Rider, and is loosely translated to Knight. **Triarii were a line of soldiers in the Roman Empire. This serves as a hint to the roots of the Triarii *They are well known for their egotistical nature **The Triarii in particular display almost non-stop, though there are rare cases of humility ***Likewise, the Umbrae Populus have a considerable ego, and the Aru'Shumi culture is literally built around ego.